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How to Get Involved
At the Houston-Galveston Area Council, we believe that planning must be done with the public, as well as for the public. We understand that decisions made today will affect those who live and work in our region tomorrow, and we’re committed to listening to the vast needs and concerns of our residents and stakeholders. Here you will find many ways to get involved with us from public participation to social media and more.
Attend a Public Meeting
The Houston-Galveston Area Council hosts public meetings throughout the year on a variety of topics including general board and committee meetings, transportation planning activities, public safety, community and environmental issues. Attend a public meeting to learn about what’s happening in your neighborhoods and in our region and to make public comments about topics that are important to you. Visit our website for regular updates and sign up for our newsletter to receive news and information on upcoming public meetings.
Special Accommodations
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Houston-Galveston Area Council will provide reasonable accommodations for persons attending agency functions. Requests from persons needing special accommodations should be received by agency staff at least 24 hours prior to a function. Please call 713-993-2437 for assistance. Meetings will be conducted in English. However, requests for language interpreters or other special communication needs may be made at least two working days prior to the meeting.
| Language | Contact Person | |
|---|---|---|
|
Español |
Francis Rodriguez |
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|
Chinese |
Sharon Ju |
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|
Hindi |
Vishu Lingala |
Texas Open Meetings Act
The Texas Open Meetings Act provides that meetings of governmental bodies must be open to the public (except for expressly authorized executive sessions).
The Texas Open Meetings Act provides that the public must be given notice of the time, place, and subject matter of meetings of governmental bodies. The agenda/notice must be posted at the government center in a place readily accessible to the public at all times for at least 72 hours before the meeting.
For more information about the Texas Open Meetings Act and its requirements, download a copy of the Open Meetings Act Handbook by the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
Participate in Our Board, Council, and Committee Meetings
Houston-Galveston Area Council Board of Directors
The Houston-Galveston Area Council’s board meetings take place at 10 a.m. the third Tuesday of every month.
Public Comments at In-Person Meetings
During regular business operations, public comments may be provided during the reserved public comment period of the board meeting held on the second floor of 3555 Timmons Lane in Houston. Participants must sign up prior to the board meeting and are allowed three minutes to provide public comments. Members of the board are not allowed to ask questions or answer questions during the public comment portion of the agenda.
To sign up for public comment, we recommend arriving to the board meeting 10 minutes early to register your name on the sign-in sheet for public comment. Once the public comment portion of the meeting begins, you will be called to the podium to make a three-minute public comment.
Public Comments at Teleconference Meetings
Members of the public may dial into the teleconference line to listen in on board meetings. To make public comments while on the teleconferencing line, find the details on our agenda posted each month. As with in-person meetings, members of the public are allowed three minutes to make their comment.
Public Comments by U.S. Mail
To submit comments by mail prior to the meeting, please send them to: Attention: H-GAC Board Public Comments to P.O. Box 22777, Houston, TX 77227-2777.
Comments received by 4 p.m. the day before the board meeting will be entered into the record. Public comments entered into the record will be reflected in the meeting minutes and provided to all board members.
Public Comments by Email
To submit public comments online, please email [email protected].
Comments received by 4 p.m. the day before the board meeting will be entered into the record.
Public comments entered into the record will be reflected in the meeting minutes and provided to all board members.
Transportation Policy Council
The Transportation Policy Council meetings take place at 9:30 a.m. the fourth Friday of each month. To avoid meeting conflicts, some meetings may occur earlier in the month. The meetings are livestreamed.
Public Comments at In-Person Meetings
Public comments may be provided during the reserved public comment period of the policy council meeting held on the Second Floor, conference room B, at H-GAC, 3555 Timmons Lane in Houston, TX 77027. Participants must sign up prior to the policy council meeting and are allowed three minutes to provide public comments. Members of the policy council are not allowed to ask questions or answer questions during the public comment portion of the agenda.
To sign up for public comment, please arrive to the policy council meeting 10 minutes early and register your name on the sign-in sheet for public comment. Once the public comment portion of the meeting begins, you will be called to the podium to make a three-minute public comment.
TPC Written and Virtual Public Comments
In addition, the public may submit written comments to our public comment email address, [email protected]. Any comments received by 5 p.m., the day before a scheduled TPC meeting will be entered into the public record and made available for TPC members to review. Submitted written comments can be viewed on the current TPC Agenda Page.
Virtual public comments may be made through Zoom. A link to the Zoom meeting for virtual public comments will be posted at h-gac.com/live before the start of the meeting. We value all public comments.
TPC Public Comments by Mail
To submit comments by mail, please send them to Attention: Transportation Policy Council Public Comments to P.O. Box 22777, Houston, TX 77227-2777 by 5 p.m. the day before the policy council meeting.
Transportation Advisory Committee
The Transportation Advisory Committee meetings take place at 9:30 a.m. every, third Wednesday of each month. To avoid meeting conflicts, some meetings may occur earlier in the month. The meetings are livestreamed.
Public Comments at In-Person Meetings
Public comments may be provided during the reserved public comment period of the advisory committee meeting held on the second floor, conference room B, H-GAC, 3555 Timmons Lane, Houston, TX 77027. Participants must sign up prior to the meeting and are allowed three minutes to provide public comments. Members of the advisory committee are not allowed to ask questions or answer questions during the public comment portion of the agenda.
To sign up for public comment, please arrive to the advisory committee meeting 10 minutes early and register your name on the sign-in sheet for public comment. Once the public comment portion of the meeting begins, you will be called to the podium to make a three-minute public comment.
In addition, the public may submit written comments to our public comment email address, [email protected]. Any comments received by 5 p.m., the day before a scheduled TAC meeting will be entered into the public record and made available for TAC members to review. Submitted written comments can be viewed on the current TAC Agenda Page.
TAC Public Comments by Mail
To submit comments by mail, please send them to Attention: Transportation Advisory Committee Public Comments to P.O. Box 22777, Houston, TX 77227-2777 by 5 p.m. the day before the advisory committee meeting.
Gulf Coast Workforce Board
Open to the public, board meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every other month. Agendas and meeting materials are posted no later than the Friday prior to each meeting.
For upcoming meetings and events, see the Workforce Solutions board calendar. For more information about the Gulf Coast Workforce Board meetings or projects, please contact:
Deborah Duke, Administrative Coordinator
[email protected]
713-993-4522
Public Comments at In-Person Meetings
A public comment signup sheet is available prior to the meeting start time. Members of the public who are present in person at the meeting may sign up to indicate their desire to provide comments. During the meeting, those individuals who have signed up are recognized and given the opportunity to provide comments. Attendees are also offered a chance to make comments if they did not sign up. Comments are limited to two minutes each.
Public Comments at Virtual Meetings
A public comment signup sheet is available prior to the meeting start time. Public comments may be submitted via email to [email protected] by 5 p.m. the day before the scheduled 10 a.m. meeting. Comments submitted via email will be read into the public record by a person designated by the board chair.
Aging and Disability Advisory Committee
The Aging and Disability Advisory Committee meets on the third Thursday of every other month. Meetings are open to the public. For more information about upcoming meetings, please contact:
Romana Paniagua, Administrative Assistant
[email protected]
713-993-4507
Public Comments at In-Person Meetings
During the meeting, members of the public who are physically present are offered an opportunity to provide their comments. Comments are limited to three minutes each.
Public Comments at Virtual Meetings
Prior to each meeting, the advisory committee will designate a contact person to receive public comments via email. This contact person will be communicated to the public in the meeting notice, along with the agenda and other reference materials. Public comments may be submitted via email to this contact person by 5 p.m. the day before the scheduled 10 a.m. meeting. Comments are read into the public record by a person designated by the committee chair.
Gulf Coast Regional 9-1-1 Emergency Communications District
The Gulf Coast Regional 9-1-1 Emergency Communications District Board of Managers meets every other month (January, March, May, July, September, and November) immediately following the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s board of directors meeting that take place the third Tuesday of each month at 10:00 a.m. The Board of Managers meet on the second floor in Conference Room D at 3555 Timmons Lane in Houston.
To make a public comment on an agenda item online, submit a public comment online or via X, formerly known as Twitter. Online public comments must be received 4 p.m. the day before to be entered into record.
In-person public comments may be made during the public comment portion of the agenda. To sign up for public comment, please arrive to the managers’ meeting 10 minutes early and register your name on the sign-in sheet for public comment. Once the public comment portion of the meeting begins, you will be called to the podium to make a three-minute public comment. Members of the board are not allowed to ask questions or answer questions during the public comment portion of the agenda.
For more information about the Gulf Coast Regional 9-1-1 Emergency Communications District, visit our website.
Virtual Public Engagement
We live in a vast and sprawling region, and sometimes it may be difficult to participate in a public meeting, listening session, or special event in person. H-GAC offers a variety of ways to participate in our planning processes and important discussions.
Virtual Engagement Video
Virtual Engagement Document
Webinars
The Houston-Galveston Area Council continually hosts webinars throughout the year on a variety of topics including air quality, transportation planning, and community workshops. Visit the H-GAC website and type “webinars” in the search box to find a variety of webinars available. Webinars are also regularly posted on our event calendar.
Teleconferences and Livestreaming
H-GAC board meetings, council meetings, and committee meetings typically provide for a teleconferencing option for virtual participation. This may be a call-in listen only, a conferencing hosting platform, or another teleconferencing option. Some of our public meetings, such as the Transportation Policy Council and the Transportation Advisory Committee meetings, are livestreamed and posted online to our website for archive viewing.
Educational and Awareness Videos
H-GAC regularly publishes online education and awareness videos to our website, social media pages, and on YouTube. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications when new videos are published.
Website, Newsletters, and Emails
The best way to stay up-to-date on H-GAC activities is to frequently visit our website for upcoming events on the homepage calendar, read our news releases, and visit different program sites to learn about webinars, public meetings, and more. Join our mailing list to receive email communications about our programs and events and subscribe to the monthly Regional Focus newsletter to read about regional highlights and happenings.
Online Surveys
One of our favorite ways to engage with our communities and stakeholders are through online surveys. Online surveys allow us to hear from you directly and help us make informed decisions about what’s best for our communities. Join our mailing list to receive our online surveys.
Follow Us on Social Media
Follow our social media pages on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube for the latest information about H-GAC programs. Use #HGACregion to tag us.
Become a Volunteer or Ombudsman
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteering during our annual Trash Bash event and on our Texas Stream Team is an excellent way to get involved with H-GAC community and environmental initiatives. Both volunteer opportunities support a clean and healthy environment for our communities.
Serve as An Ombudsman
Identify, investigate, and resolve complaints by or on behalf of nursing home and assisted living facility residents by becoming an ombudsman. Ombudsman provide information to residents and their families about resident rights, nursing home compliance, how to select a nursing home, and eligibility criteria. More than 60% of nursing home residents do not have any visitors besides their ombudsman. Volunteer ombudsmen are asked to visit at least twice a month so residents can establish trust as an advocate.
Download a volunteer application and learn more about the program.
Request a Presentation or a Briefing
The Houston-Galveston Area Council established a speaker’s bureau to highlight its current regional programs and initiatives.
If you would like a speaker for your event, please contact us four to six weeks prior to the date of your event. This advance notice is necessary to process to your request and give our speakers adequate preparation time. Please note that the speaker’s bureau is based on availability of in-house subject matter experts. We cannot guarantee that all requests will be filled.
For more information, please contact:
Ashley Seals, Communications Manager
[email protected]
713-499-6658